Animation

Unfortunately I can't post of my best stuff (yet) because the game has not come out yet. I have recently worked on these games.

Dungeon Seed

Dungeon Seed was the second short I worked on during my undergraduate years. I played the roles of Animator, Technical Director, Modeler, FX Artist, Lighting Artist, Texture Artist, Concept Artist, Editor, Sound Designer, Render Technician. I feel I contributed a lot to the project. I worked on everything but the rigging and modeling of our character (Dan). This short was produced entirely in Light Wave 7.5 and took us roughly 1000 hours in 5 months. Took 3rd place in the CSU Media arts Festival in 2004

Remain Vital

Remaine Vital is a three and a half minute music video. I created 95% of the visuals for this piece using LightWave, Maya, After FX, Photoshop and Primere. I also created the middle section of music. This project was a colaboration between myself and a electronic musician located in Canada named William Mcleod AKA Oxygenfad. Josia Munsie also created some graphics for the piece.

About This Project

I want to create a project using an organic creative process that can grow and change as the project and my ideas do. I want to explore what its like to look through my eyes during a common day. Nothing special, nothing out of the ordinary, just what I do. The idea is that as I create more time laps content the project will develop its own themes, feeling, or even stories. As this happens I will explore father into what emerges.

4/21/08

Masters Project Proposal

Important Definition:

Time-lapse photography is a cinematography technique whereby each film frame is captured at a rate much slower than it will be played back. When replayed at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and thus lapsing. Time-lapse photography can be considered to be the opposite of high speed photography.

Project abstract: For my masters project I will be creating a multimedia project which will take the final form of a five to ten minute video with music. This video will then be burned onto a DVD-R and turned in with my written component. The video portion of this project will be comprised mainly of time lapse photography but will also include some still imagery as well as other visual FX I have the ability to create by processing images with my computer. This will be accompanied by original electronic music that I create for the piece

A statement of the purpose of this project, the need for the project, and the student’s personal interests.

I have always been fascinated with how artists take a set of guidelines and create a piece of art. Take those same guidelines, however defining or open they may be, and give them to a different artist with different skills, and the result will be much different. This being said, the main purpose of my master’s project will be to explore what grows out of me. I believe Ben Bogart, writer of Vague Terrain and a digital artist, best explains this idea. Bogart explains, “In this case, the result is not the purpose but instead the path of creation; what the project does and how it is done is its central purpose. The aim is not to be aesthetically constructed in a predetermined way or express a certain idea but to inspire creation in others. Oftentimes the result of the collaboration between the system and the artist ends up being a surprise. The artist can be as inspired by the result as s/he hopes the viewer could be.”
I graduated in 2006 with a double major in Applied Computer Graphics and Media Arts. Throughout my education I have been trained to think that a story or concept must initiate all projects and must be maintained throughout the creative process. Conveying the story and concept has always been my goal. This will be an exploration of the exact opposite. I will be using the tools and skills I have mastered to create a piece of art that does not start with an intended result. The meaning or story will grow out of the interaction between the project and myself in a very organic way and as it does I will enhance and nurture it.
As a student and artist my interests include animation, video, music, photography, and the combination of any or all these art forms. I also have a strong interest in live manipulation and performance, which leads me to say, this project may become a live performance after it has served its purpose as my masters project.

A statement of the content and format of the project, including specific information regarding the subject matter, the intended audience, how and where the project may be used, and the anticipated result or effects.

The contents of this project will be music, time-lapse photography, and visual FX. The final project will be turned in as a DVD
The Subject matter will be a unique view of the world around us. The known changes that occur all around us all day, everyday, which can only be seen when time is sped up will be my interest when making my time laps content.
The Intended audience for this piece could be anyone but more specifically will be people interested in time lapse photography and/or electronic music.
This project could be shown whenever and wherever the time is right. It will be put up on youtube.com, archive.com and my personal web site. It will be entered in film festivals and it may be sold as a retail item. It may be played as part of an art gallery. I will also make a low-resolution copy available for download on the web. Later it may also become a live performance piece.
The anticipated result of this piece is to open people’s minds to the beauty of the things we see everyday. I want to get people to look around and pay attention to the extreme complexity and beauty that is the human race and the planet we inhabit. I want to spark curiosity and inspire creativity.

A statement of the intended method of production. A detailed written plan should be developed which outlines the major steps to be performed and the procedures for the production. This includes such things as required talent resources (dancers, singers, ect), time required for various aspects of the project, and an estimate of technical support necessary for the production, including personnel equipment, and facilities. A production script would be appropriate here.

The major steps in producing this piece (see production flowchart)

Create at least 5 min worth of time lapse sequences.

Edit the sequences together in some order

Compose rough music to the video

Evaluate the feel of the video discover possible meaning or stories developing in the project

Expand on a chosen idea or concept

Finalize the music

Time requirements

Due to the nature of time lapse photography I would estimate this project taking no less then an entire semester. For the sake of finishing this project in a timely manner I will be setting very strict time restrictions on my individual stop motion sequences. The main restriction being, I will not make any single time laps sequence that takes over 14 days to shoot unless I acquire another camera.

Time line

Though I cannot give exact dates as to when I will have the different stages of my project complete; I believe it is advantageous for me to at least set tentative deadline for myself. So I am going to try to get all my rough time lapse clips created by the end of the first month of fall semester 2008. This means that I should be able to have a rough edit of the time laps clips all together with music by the end of the second month of fall semester 2008. then I will spend the next month or so (no longer then two) showing people the project, making slight alterations, creating more time laps clips, and reviewing the video until I reach a point where I feel comfortable finalizing the music and video. My hope is to finish the project by the end of the fall 2008 semester.

Equipment requirements

I have all the necessary equipment to produce this piece. I will be using a Sony A100 10.2 mp DSLR camera with a timer remote to take the pictures. I will be using an external wireless flash for more lighting versatility. I will be using one of my desktop computers to edit and combine the photographs into a video sequence. I will be using my laptop, midi keyboard, microphone, and audio interface to compose and sync music to the video in Logic Pro 7.

4. A statement substantiating the need for such a study/project. An extensive review of existing materials and literature should demonstrate that the project does not duplicate the efforts of others. This section should convince the non-print Media Review Committee of the merit of the project.

This project explores a different path of creation then most people that come from my majors are familiar with. The result is not the starting point or purpose for creating this project. What the project does, how its done, and what it becomes as a result of it growing out of me is what makes this project important and different. With the correct presentation this project should inspire others to create for the sake seeing what is inside of them rather then being detoured by a lack of concept or story. I hope to inspire innocent exploration and curiosity in everyone.